Archives for November 2016

Have you ever spent way too much on Christmas gifts because you weren’t paying attention to how much you were spending?

Have you ever given someone the same thing more than once?

Me too.

You know those 9×13 personalized cake pans that are ideal for taking to a potluck? They are awesome, and I love the one I was given as a gift. So I decided to get my mom one for Christmas. But at that time, I didn’t keep records of my Christmas purchases, so a couple of years later, I got her another cake pan. Oops! Hope you like cake.

You can save yourself embarrassment and quite a bit of money if you use an expense tracker. You can get the one I use here:

And, if you are looking for ways to save on your Christmas shopping in general, try these tips:

Shop those sales.
Everyone flocks to Black Friday sales for a reason, but if you’d like to avoid the madness, don’t forget the online deals. Not all businesses wait until Cyber Monday to post their deals. Many start as early as Thanksgiving to drop their prices online, and opt for free shipping or store pickup and miss the crowds.

Shop throughout the year.
I know, I’m probably telling you this a little too late. But, if you find a great deal on something a friend or family member would love, and it’s the middle of August, get it anyway. Designate one spot in your house for gifts and stockpile everything there so you don’t forget.

Re-evaluate who you buy gifts for.
Do you get gifts for every member of your extended family? And how much do you spend on each gift? You could suggest your family or group of friends draw names, do a white elephant exchange, set a price limit on gifts, buy for the kids only or just do a group activity together. If this is a little awkward, don’t make it about the money. Suggest these ideas as a way to simplify everyone’s Christmas and just enjoy each other’s company.

Share your skills and talents.
Give a one-of-a-kind gift by making something for those on your list. Maybe you are a fabulous cook and have a special recipe you can make for your friends. Or if you love making cards, consider creating a small pack of personalized note cards for a close family member. Perhaps you are fantastic with flower arranging and you can craft a cute winter decoration that friends can leave out throughout the winter. These gifts are fun for you to create and are probably more meaningful to receive than a gift you purchase.

Save cash back or rebates for Christmas shopping.
This is another tip that is best to start in January but will help you save next year. If you have a credit card that gives you cash back or use a particular website or app that gives you rebates each time you make a purchase, save the extra cash for Christmas spending. I have done that this year with our Amazon card, and we have over $100 to put toward our Amazon Christmas purchases.

Open a separate savings account to save for Christmas throughout the year.
This is an oldie but a goodie. If you know (from your expenses tracker or an expense logging app) that you spend $600 on Christmas, put $50 each month into this designated account, and by December, you’ll have all the money ready for you to use without having to use credit or layaway.

It may take a few extra minutes in planning, but you can save money and simplify your Christmas shopping by using some of these tips. What other ways do you save on Christmas shopping? Send your ideas to defeatingbusy@gmail.com and I will add your ideas to this post.

If you are like me, there are regularly at least 15 thoughts going through my mind. And the holiday season just adds to that. Add travel to the mix and my brain is fried.

After all, if you’re a mom, you’re not packing for just yourself. There’s your stuff, your kids’ things and stuff for the whole family like snacks and entertainment.

I’m telling you, if it weren’t for my list-making obsession, I would leave half the things we needed behind. Whether traveling by plane, train or automobile (couldn’t resist), a packing list makes the process so much easier, both when packing to leave home and when re-packing to come back. I’m sharing my packing template with you today as a starting point for you to customize.

It features a column for you, a column for a toddler (cause that’s my life right now), column for an older child and a column for overall family items. Add or delete columns, or do whatever you need to do to make it work best for you.

Think about comfort.
My hubby swears by this pillow on long flights. I was not crazy about the price until we took an international flight, and I changed my mind. On road trips, I pack a couple of throws in case someone gets cold.

Download the best apps in advance.
Use Waze app for navigation. It tells you about construction delays, cars on the shoulder of the road, police speed traps and rest areas. In other words, awesome. Use Gas Buddy to find out where the least expensive gas is in the area you’re traveling.

Make sure everyone has entertainment.
Load up on good music, podcasts and cartoons for the kids. When you are traveling along through country areas, you won’t have any reception for calls or Internet.

Stock up on great snacks.
I start out with a stash of healthy snacks but always make sure to include a couple of treats and some caffeine in case the driver starts getting sleepy. Besides, road trippers can save money by packing great snacks and drinks and only buying a sandwich or burger while on the road.

What other tips am I missing that make your travels easier? Although, honestly, I’d just rather skip the traveling and have the superpower of teleportation.

I am the first to tell you that I don’t have all the answers. And that’s one reason God created us to be in community. To learn from each other, to support each other, to love each other during this everyday thing called life.

And whether you’re a man or a woman, one of the hardest things to figure out as we get married and have one child, then two, then a million activities is how to make time for the important things we say are our top priorities instead of only the urgent things that scream for our attention. It is a good question and an important one in living life for God. So I reached out to these blogger ladies whom I respect most to get their opinion.

Michelle Myers, Cross Training Couture and She Works His Way
“Instead of trying to prioritize every area of my life and strike the “balance” that women like to find, I’ve found it’s much easier to only worry about one thing: putting God first. Matthew 6:33 reminds us that when we seek God first, everything else gets added. So rather than trying to order everything, the way I feel the most secure in how I spend my time is simply surrendering fully to God. When He is first, everything else falls into place. If He’s not first, everything is chaos. So simplify your life by making sure you get that first priority spot right, and allow Him to order everything else.”

Mary Hyatt, MaryHyatt.com
“For me, I truly believe that it is my responsibility to create the life that I want. I know that is my job. So for me, I have made the time to slow down to figure out what I value most and what quality of life I actually want to have. And from there I make sure that I have great boundaries. I don’t start working and taking clients until 10am. That gives me time to create a beautiful morning routine. I can go on a walk, read, shower, meditate or whatever I am feeling that would be nourishing to my soul. Honoring those time boundaries are vital for me to live a life that feels full of passion and one that inspires me.”

Kalyn Brooke, Creative Savings
“Even though it’s so easy to say we “don’t have time” for this or that, I prefer to switch that phrase around and say, “I choose not to make time for X”. I firmly believe that we have time for what we make a priority, and when you start thinking this way, it replaces an otherwise limiting belief with a more empowering one. We can’t always do ALL the things, but we can choose to do the best things.”

Katie Drane, Fun Home Things
“It was the middle of the night when my daughter was 2. I was awake and worried about how I was going to manage everything–a house, a job, a shoestring budget, and be the kind of mom I wanted to be. The future seemed so scary and nothing gave me any comfort in that moment. Out of nowhere came the phrase “Don’t miss the point”. That’s it.

Looking back, I have no doubt it was a God thing! Those words completely eased my worry and instantly shifted my focus to the things that mattered most. Life looks so different now but when I find myself feeling overextended, unable to juggle everything, feeling like I’m letting everyone down, and not sure which fire to put out first, I tell myself “Don’t miss the point.” There are just things that matter, and things that don’t.”

Lisa-Jo Baker, LisaJoBaker.com
My answer would be that I get really good at saying “no” to things 🙂 If it’s not a priority for my family or my calling, I just say no. Guilt free 🙂

For example, I don’t volunteer in my kids’ school, do a ton of crafts, or participate in all the school activities I could. But I’ve learned to say yes to the things that bring our family life and my calling joy.

Allie Casazza, The Purposeful Housewife
“I wake up early and get the most pressing tasks done before I have breakfast with my kids at 8:00. It has helped me and freed me up so much! It makes for a great day when you know the biggest task is done.”

Annie Edwards, The Fullness of Empty
“I have found this activity to be helpful in determining how to spend my time. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half, long ways. On one side of the paper write your priorities. A priority is what is important to you. What makes you happy? What do you want to accomplish? How do you want to be remembered at the end of your life? My priorities are my faith, family, and fitness. Then on the other side write your daily activities. Cross out anything that does not help or support those priorities. How can you invest in these priorities? How will you use your time? Resources? Energy? Ask God to give you wisdom on how to better live out your priorities. Is there something you could do more often? Is there something you could limit to help serve your priorities?”

Rachel Meyer, Rachel Meyer Fitness
“As a stay-at-home-mom of two toddlers who also runs a Fitness and Holistic Health Coaching business, there are many tasks I have do each day without question. But for the other tasks that I don’t necessarily have to do but are the most important things in my life, I do a few things to make sure they are prioritized. First, I schedule the majority of those important things in my google calendar. My workouts, meal planning + prep, hiking trips with my family or friends, coffee dates with friends or husband, and more, are tasks that I don’t have to do but are a huge priority. Secondly, I make a prep list so ensure I can do those things with more ease. For example, the night before a morning workout, I lay out my entire outfit and know exactly what my workout will entail. I often invite a friend to join me for extra accountability. Another example would be meal prep. If I plan to meal prep for the week on Sunday, I make sure I schedule in a grocery shopping tips on Saturday sometime. Or if I’m going on a date with my hubby, I make sure clients know I’m not available during that time. You get the idea. Lastly, I make sure I consistently do the important things so they become habits and not just important things that I WISH could get done.”

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About Me

My name is Ashley. I’m the wife of the best guy on the planet, the mom of two crazy girls and a lover of all things country music, reading and group fitness. And I’m super passionate about helping you simplify your life so you can spend more time doing the things you love.